The growing partisan politicization of non-political online spaces
A mixed-method analysis of news app reviews on Google Play between 2009 and 2022
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12656380 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rui Wang (0000-0001-7155-3356, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, corresponding author), Sagarika Suresh Thimmanayakanapalya (0000-0001-9457-2963, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), Yotam Ophir (0000-0001-5049-7906, University at Buffalo, State University of New York) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 4691-4711 |
| Publication date | 2024-03-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Media & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14614448241237765 |
| OpenAlex | W4393192425 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 65 |
Drawing on theories of identity politics and partisan polarization, we explored the politicization of Google Play’s news app reviews—an explicitly non-political domain. Using a mixed-methods approach, Analysis of Topic Model Networks (ANTMNs), combining topic modeling, network analysis, community detection, and theory-driven qualitative reading, we analyzed 759,143 reviews from 2009 to 2022 across 46 news apps. Three themes emerged: Technical, Content Quality, and Political. The political discourse in reviews has intensified over the years, with notable spikes around election periods. Accusations of bias were found to correlate most strongly with lower app ratings. The findings provide alarming empirical evidence for the politicization of non-political spaces, such as the app reviews section on app stores. With identity politics on the rise, this study sheds light on the importance of considering non-political online spaces for the study of political discourse
Advertising · Business · Fake news · Internet privacy · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Social Media and Politics
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| Citations per year | 4 |
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| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |